Dems Should Thank God For McCain-Palin

No vice presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson has had a significant impact on a presidential election. Biden and Palin aren't likely to either.

Nevertheless, Democrats can rejoice at McCain's choice. Let's just hope that he keeps telling the country his 44-year-old beauty queen is ready to be president.

God knows, we can use some laughs.

The best laugh of all is that McCain thinks he can snag the Hillary refuseniks with a female and appease the Religious Right with Palin's anti-abortion rights stance. He's going to lose on both counts.

First off, a big chunk of Religious Right folks wouldn't let women lead prayer; they're sure not going to let a skirt lead the country.

Fundamentalists can prove that God wants women to be under the dominion of men with a whole slew of Bible verses. It's God first. Men second. Women and children last. I've never been able to get a fundamentalist to tell me exactly when a boy becomes a man and can no longer be instructed by a woman. Is it 12? 18? Some of those old boys never become men.

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Many fundamentalist churches won't allow a woman to speak in front of a church congregation at all. Ever. When my uncle died, my aunt wanted me to speak at his funeral in the Church of Christ. The preacher very kindly said, "No." I could help serve the after-funeral dinner, however.

They won't allow a woman to lead a Sunday School class that men and women both attend.

And fundamentalists aren't making these rules on their own. They're following God, who will hold men accountable on Judgment Day if they haven't exercised their God-given authority.

Of course, we know that the Religious Right's standards rest on shifting sands. McCain himself demonstrates that. He's a philanderer who left his faithful first wife after she waited five years for him, raised their children alone, and was badly injured in an automobile accident. He left her for a young, beautiful heiress. A beer-distributor heiress.

But not one tee-totaling, family-value fundamentalist has made a peep about any of that.

Fundamentalists can be flexible when it suits them. But McCain's pushing 'em.

Nothing like he's pushing the buttons of the Hillary supporters by choosing an anti-abortion beauty queen.

It's enough to make a Democrat turn to God in gratitude: "Thank you, Lord. You've finally given us the man we've been waiting for."

---
Christine Wicker is the author of "The Fall of the Evangelical Nation: The Surprising Crisis Inside the Church." Her website is www.ChristineWicker.com

Comments

[mamacat]

On the one hand, I do not understand how in the world the McCain ticket stands any chance at all in the upcoming election. He has chosen an incompetent nin-compoop for a running mate, and he deserves to lose in every state of the union.

On the other hand, choosing a right-wing, intolerant running mate may resonate with voters, putting the GOP in the White House for another four years of failed government.

This is a huge quandry. Rationally, after the failed GOP presidency of the last eight years, there is no way in hell the GOP should win again. Realistically, Americans may be more comfortable with the devil they know, rather than the change they need.

[crank]

One would think this could be a slam dunk for the demos but considering their do-nothing ineptness over the last 8 years I'm not going to hold my breath. Someway, somehow the demos will find a way to screw themselves out of another election.

[lewes17266]

The first strike against McCain for me was when he contradicted himself and went to an "agent of intolerance" seeking votes - Hagee who announced from his pulpit that his angry God sent Katrina because of a homosexual parade in New Orleans.
This is the second strike - choosing an unqualified running mate for the purpose of pleasing those "evangelicals" again, a group which he clearly does not really care about or even understand for that matter, as you have pointed out here.
John McCain has lost his integrity for the evangelical vote.
I am excited about Barack Obama and the promise of a national healthcare plan, an end to this costly war and the pain, loss, and suffering it has caused, and a more compassionate White House.

[Lu4PUMA]

John McCain Demonstrated his Maverick Spirit and is helping PUMA to "Get Over It"

While Barack Obama is too egotistical to have a woman more qualified than him as his vice president, John McCain once again demonstrates his maverick spirit with his choice of Governor Sarah Palin.

Maybe Michelle Obama can now swallow the toad she was apparently choking on during Hillary Clinton"s DNC Convention Speech. But what is Barack Obama to do about Clinton Supporters? After all, he did acknowledge his Grandmother and mention his Mother in his Great Oration at the Temple. What more could these people want? Respect? Democracy? Fair Elections? No, it was his nomination and Convention and he ran it the way he saw fit. After all, the Supreme Court decided that the Party did not have to answer to the Voters so why don"t all these cry babies just get over it?

Now, it looks like they can. Thank you, John McCain for having the courage to pick a woman Vice President during this controversial election.

We in the middle, need a candidate that DEMONSTRATES THROUGH ACTION that they will make balanced, progressive choices and be inclusive.

[ChescoMom]

"We in the middle, need a candidate that DEMONSTRATES THROUGH ACTION that they will make balanced, progressive choices and be inclusive."

Balanced, PROGRESSIVE choices? OMFG you have GOT to be kidding me.

[Johnnn]

Good luck Obama supporters with the argument that Sarah Palin is too young, too inexperienced to be Vice-President, or President. I thought we just put that argument to rest with Bill Clinton's great speech. Palin has been in public office for 13 years, and that experience has been EXECUTIVE experience, not LEGISLATIVE experience.

50/50 fence-sitter

[za2008]

Um. No.

1.5 years as Governor of 650,000 people in Alaska
6 years as Part Time Mayor of 7,000 people in Wasalia, Alaska
4 years on the City Council of Wasalia

[mhaven]

Don't ask what Palin did to Wasalia...they still hate her up there.

Could Palin have accomplished what Obama did over these 2 years of campaigning? Could Palin have defeated the Clinton's?

[Fabienne]

Obama has been in public office for 12 years, and the Illinois legislature is a bit more complex than mayor and city council member of a town of 7,000.

[DonkeySerenade]

Makes one wonder just how many votes Rick Warren promised McCain if he nominated Palin as his running mate. As a Democrat I can only say this - THANK YOU, JOHN MCCAIN! THANK YOU, THANIK YOU, THANK YOU!

I can hardly wait to see and hear Joe Biden chew up this woman into tiny little pieces.

[BusGreg]

I hate to burst your bubble. There are a bunch of evangelical nuts on the republican side of things who are at best lukewarm to Mcbush, due to his vague stand on abortion. With Palin, Grandpa Munster chose the right person for the job, because her stand AGAINST abortion will quickly make her the darling of the religious anti choice bunch. Consider the fact that she knew before the birth of her last child that it would be born with Downs syndrome, and her decision to bring her pregnancy to term and stating that this is a gift of god... While I commend her on sticking to her principles, her position as Veep, should the repugs succeed in electing Mcbush she will be in a position of influence and that will set women's rights pertaining to choice back decades. Unfortunately here in the pious part of the country, -- I'm stuck in NC -- her choice will help Mcbush and it will also send quite a few of the dissatisfied Hillary supporters over to the wrong ticket. I hope I'm wrong, but her inexperience in government might easily overshadowed by her abortion stand and a win for Mcbush in NC would add another 15 electoral votes to the wrong ticket for America.

[FatherKindly]

I am so scared BusGreg is absolutely correct. I have very little confidence in the collective intelligence of the American voters. They have given us George W. Bush TWICE and seem destined to give him to us again in the persona of John ("I was a POW: Love me!") McCain.

[popfolly]

If this beauty queen was chosen because of her presumed attractiveness to the women who wanted Hillary as President and in the end as VP, I have to say that a) by choosing Hillary these women have demonstrated that they are both intelligent and perceptive, and b)that no woman with either or both hemispheres of the brain would ever vote for a woman who shoots a cariboo and then eats it.

[BandsofBlack]

One minor correction...

It's men first, god second, women and children last.